Jesus’ Warning

16 “I have told you these things so that you will not stumble or be caught off guard and fall away. ² They will put you out of the synagogues and make you outcasts. And a time is coming when whoever kills you will think that he is offering service to God. ³ And they will do these things because they have not known the Father or Me. ⁴ I have told you these things [now], so that when their time comes, you will remember that I told you about them. I did not say these things to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

The Holy Spirit Promised

⁵ “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ ⁶ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts [and taken complete possession of them]. ⁷ But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the ^[a]Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you]. ⁸ And He, when He comes, will convict the world about [the guilt of] sin [and the need for a Savior], and about righteousness, and about judgment: ⁹ about sin [and the true nature of it], because they do not believe in Me [and My message]; ¹⁰ about righteousness [personal integrity and godly character], because I am going to My Father and you will no longer see Me; ¹¹ about judgment [the certainty of it], because the ruler of this world (Satan) has been judged and condemned.

¹² “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear [to hear] them now. ¹³ But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth]. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future]. ¹⁴ He will glorify and honor Me, because He (the Holy Spirit) will take from what is Mine and will disclose it to you. ¹⁵ All things that the Father has are Mine. Because of this I said that He [the Spirit] will take from what is Mine and will reveal it to you.

Jesus’ Death and Resurrection Foretold

¹⁶ “A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.” ¹⁷ Some of His disciples said to one another, “What does He mean when He tells us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I am going to My Father’?” ¹⁸ So they were saying, “What does He mean when He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is talking about.” ¹⁹ Jesus knew that they wanted to ask Him, so He said to them, “Are you wondering among yourselves about what I meant when I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’? ²⁰ I assure you and most solemnly say to you, that you will weep and grieve [in great mourning], but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. ²¹ A woman, when she is in labor, has pain because her time [to give birth] has come; but when she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of her joy that a child has come into the world. ²² So for now you are in grief; but I will see you again, and [then] your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away from you your [great] joy.

Prayer Promises

²³ In that day you will not [need to] ask Me about anything. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name [as My representative], He will give you. ²⁴ Until now you have not asked [the Father] for anything in My name; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy may be full and complete.

²⁵ “I have told you these things in figurative language (veiled language, proverbs); the hour is now coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶ In that day you will ask in My name, and I am not saying to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf [because it will be unnecessary]; ²⁷ for the Father Himself [tenderly] loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from the Father. ²⁸ I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

²⁹ His disciples said, “Ah, now You are speaking plainly to us and not in figures of speech! ³⁰ Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; because of this we believe [without any doubt] that you came from God.” ³¹ Jesus answered them, “Do you now [at last] believe? ³² Take careful notice: an hour is coming, and has arrived, when you will all be scattered, each to his own home, leaving Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. ³³ I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]